According to VR-Zone, AMD will officially launch its next generaton flagship mobile GPU on 24th of April, the HD 7970M.

Despite the HD 7970M name, the codenamed Thames mobile GPU (as it was mostly the case with mobile GPUs) shares no similarities with its desktop counterpart as it is based on 28nm Pitcairn GPU that powers AMD Radeon HD 7800 desktop GPUs. The HD 7970M still packs quite a punch and it will quite interesting to see how well it will fare against Nvidia's 40nm Fermi GTX 675M/670M flagship GPUs as well as GTX 660M, the most powerful 28nm Kepler based GPU from Nvidia.

We already wrote a lot about Nvidia's mobile GPU lineup, and back then, Nvidia claimed quite a few design wins, but we are sure that AMD will pretty much do the same on April 24th. There was some recent leaks regarding Alienware's upcoming M18X gaming notebook that will be available with both HD 7970M and GTX 675M/660M options.

In addition to the HD 7970M, AMD will probably follow up with HD 7800M series, codename Lombok that will be similar to Cape Verde GPUs, while the low end will be covered by AMD's upcoming Trinity APUs.

We stumbled upon some rather interesting details regarding the recently updated Nvidia 600M mobile lineup of chips and it appears that some of the Fermi chips will be switched to 28nm.

Nvidia decided to "build" its 600M series as a cohesive family of chips by targeting the right GPU for the right market segment. Since mainstream notebooks are more cost sensitive, Nvidia decided to go for Fermi based GPUs that will "offer significantly improved efficiency, paired with a cost effective design". Of course, this mostly means that 610M, GT 620M, GT 630M and GT 635M (and GT 640M LE that will be apparently based on both Fermi and Kepler) are actually re-brands and will all be based on Fermi architecture.

According to what we know so far, Nvidia didn't talk much about "improved efficiency, cost effective design and optimizations" of these Fermi chips, but we did notice that both GT 620M and the GT 630M are switched to 28nm process (GT 630M apparently as 28/40nm).

Unfortunately, the high-end offering that includes Fermi-based GTX 675M and GTX 670M will still stay at 40nm. Nvidia did note that despite still being based on Fermi architectures, the company is looking at "improved Fermi chips" that have been optimized to squeeze peak performance in an enthusiast notebook chassis.

Our today's guest is the GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores Classified graphics cards, which was specially designed by EVGA and based on the third GF110 GPU. So far, we’ve had the GTX 580 and GTX 570 cards based on the GF110, but Nvidia wanted to compensate for the unwanted delays with the launch of GTX 560Ti 448 Cores. Another reason perhaps is the fact that the company had plenty of GF110s in stock, which didn’t qualify for GTX 580 and GTX 570 cards. Users, on the other hand, will be more interested in hearing that the new card is closing in on the GTX 570’s performance, while being about €30 cheaper.

We’re quite sure that gamers will like the GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores as Nvidia allowed partners to utilize hardware similarities with the GTX 570 – namely, existing PCBs and coolers. Judging by the layout and cutout in the PCB, EVGA opted on the GTX 480’s PCB.

Looking at the specs, we can say that the GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores has about 7 percent slower compute/shading, geometry and texturing performance than the GTX 570. This is because the new card has one SM (Streaming multiprocessor) less, with 448 CUDA cores compared to the GTX 570’s 480.

The GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores and the GTX 570 share the same number of ROPs (40), 320 bit memory interface and 1.25GB of GDDR5 memory. However, the 448 Cores’ memory bandwidth is lower than on the GTX 570 since its memory runs at 900, compared to the GTX 570’s 950MHz. Note that the standard GTX 560 Ti has 384 CUDA cores and 256 bit memory interface.

Reference GPU clocks on the GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores are at 732MHz, just like the ones on GTX 570 cards. The GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores Classified comes overclocked and with excellent cooling.

When we first saw the GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores Classified, we were surprised by its size, since it is much bigger than the standard GTX 560 Ti. Although the card has GTX 560 Ti in its name, it has very little in common with the reference GTX 560 Ti and a lot in common with the GTX 570.

Note that EVGA also launched the GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores FTW, which has a shorter PCB (22.8cm). Both cards run at identical speeds.

At a glance, one could easily mistake the GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores Classified with EVGA’s GTX 570 DS HD. However, looks can deceive and the GTX 570 has a different cooler, different PCB as well as different configuration of connectors on the I/O panel.

GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores Classified

GTX-570-DS-HD

The GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores Classified has two DVIs and one mini HDMI. If you need the standard HDMI, EVGA didn’t forget you and included one in the box. You probably know by now that Nvidia’s architecture allows for using only two video outs at the same time. Just like on the rest of the GTX 500 series cards, you’l find HDMI 1.4a that allows for HD audio and Blu-ray 3D video.

The shroud has plenty of air outlets/inlets.

The fans push air downwards through the heatsink and the outlets allow hot air to exit the card quickly. Unfortunately, almost all the hot air ends up in the case which is why you’ll need adequate in-case cooling.

The GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores Classified is not overly hot during intensive operation. In fact, its thermals are lower than the reference GTX 570, despite the fact that its GPU runs at higher clocks. The PCB cutout helps with dissipation, although the GTX 480 used it to improve SLI cooling. The Classified’s cutout isn’t quite necessary though as the card has two fans and plenty of air inlets/outlets.

EVGA used one 6-pin and one 8-pin connector, which once again suggests that it’s the GTX 480’s PCB. Most Nvidia partners used two 6-pin power connectors for the GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores, just like the reference GTX 570.

Both fans are connected to one 4-pin power connector, whereas the other cable on the picture below powers the LED lamp on EVGA’s logo on top of the card.

The heatsink is split in two parts connected by heatpipes.

The memory has no heatsink of its own and is cooled by fans only. EVGA uses 6 Phase PWM design for the GPU.

The GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores has two SLI connectors and multi-GPU support (maximum of four graphics cards), but cannot be combined with standard GTX 560 Ti, GTX 570 or GTX 580 cards.

Provided you aren’t keen on messing with voltages, the maximum GPU overclock is at 845MHz.

After installing the latest MSI Afterburner, we played with GPU voltages. Afterburner shows that EVGA set standard voltage at 1063mV.

Afterburner allows for GPU voltages up to 1100mV. However, overclocking results didn’t drastically improve, not even after setting the voltage to the max.

We left the fans in auto mode, since speeding them up didn’t help achieve better GPU clocks. When running in auto mode, the fans are mostly quiet. We really barely noticed them but manually setting the rpm to 70% will make them too loud.

All in all, the coolers does a good job and temperatures aren’t high. The GTX 570’s GPU, on the other hand, can hit up to 85°C.

EVGA uses a PCB with one 6-pin and one 8-pin connector. We’ve already said that the PCB is mostly that of the GTX 480, which is not half bad – namely, you’ll never experience power shortages. EVGA Classified is slightly faster than the GTX 570 and consumes almost the same.

The GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores Classified is a special version of a special graphics card. Most of all, it is special for the fact that Nvidia will neither make many of them nor launch them all across the globe. According to Nvidia, the cards will only launch in USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Russia and Nordic countries. Unless the company decides otherwise, the GTX 560 Ti 448 ores will be available for a few months around the New Year, so if you want it – you better be quick.

Nidia did not launch the reference design of its graphics card, allowing its partners to play with it and tailor the card to their own needs. The GTX 560 Ti Cores is based on the GF110, unlike the standard GTX 560 Ti that’s based on the GF114. Thanks to hardware similarities, the GF110 can be used with existing GTX 570 designs or on PCBs used for GTX 480 cards, which is exactly what EVGA did. The upside is that the card has 6 phase PWM design as well as 6 pin and 8 pin connectors. This practically means that the card will definitely never lack power.

Thankfully, the GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores Classified’s cooler has nothing to do with the GTX 480’s, which was too loud for anyone’s taste. In fact, the Classified is moderately quiet, even when running under load.

EVGA’s advantage over the rest of the GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores pack is the factory overclock, where the company upped GPU clocks from 732MHz to 797MH and the GDDR5 memory from 3800MHz to 3900MHz. We’ve seen that this factory overclock allows the GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores Classified to beat the GTX 570 in many tests.

The reference GTX 570 Ti 448 Cores is priced at about €250, whereas EVGA priced the Classified at €275. The most affordable GTX 570 goes for €270, which is why we’d advise you to wait at least a bit. Namely, prices haven’t been adjusted yet and EVGA’s web portal lists the Classified at $299.99 and the most affordable GTX 570 at $344.99.

If you happen to find the Classified priced lower than the GTX 570 then don’t waste time and buy it before they’re off the market. As far as performance goes, the card is really a great gaming card that no gamer would say no to.

Eight months ago we tested Point of View / TGT GTX 570 Beast graphics card which took the title of the fastest among Geforce GTX 570s. Today we have another GTX 570 Beast card which runs at the same clocks as the first GTX 570 Beast. However, the new Beast comes with improved cooling and more memory, which is the reason why its full name is GTX 570 Beast 2.5GB.

Our readers know that TGT is Point of View’s right hand when it comes to overclocking graphics, and should know that only the fastest graphics card get the Beast treatment. Of course, TGT not only handpicked the GPUs but made sure that each and every one runs at high clocks for a long time.

Nvidia’s plans for new graphics card series have obviously been moved towards the end of 2011, so TGT decided to use the existing Fermi GF110 chips. In case you forgot, Geforce GTX 570 is based on Nvidia’s Fermi architecture, namely the most advanced Nvidia’s GPU so far – the GF110. The card offers excellent performance in the high end segment and is the second fastest single-GPU card in Nvidia’s arsenal.

The GTX 570 Beast 2.5GB runs at 841MHz for the GPU, which is 109MHz higher than on reference cards (732MHz). We’re pretty glad that TGT strapped the new Beast with adequate cooling which cools well and stays quiet while doing so.

Apart from the factory overclock, special dual-fan cooler and double the memory, the GTX 570 Beast 2.5GB can boast a rich video out panel. It includes standard HDMI and DisplayPort connectors, as well as two dual-link DVIs.

GTX 570 Beast 2.5GB graphics cards come with Zalman cooling, which should cater to enthusiasts due to quiet operation and good performance. The only downside is that the cooler takes up 2.5 slots. The cooling has two 75mm fans on it.

The picture below shows Nvidia’s reference Geforce GTX 570 cooling. The Geforce GTX 570 you see here is the one that launched first and actually uses PCBs designed for Geforce GTX 580 cards. Nvidia remedied that in the meantime and designed a new PCB which is the reason why you can find different Geforce GTX 570 cards. Our today’s GTX 570 Beast 2.5GB also uses the new PCB, which is shorter and has a few extra components. The PCB is still 12-layer design rather than the cost-down version that many Nvidia partners go for, but we’ve come to expect only the best from TGT.

Four copper heatpipes are used to transfer heat from the GPU to the large heatsink.

The hood is made of brushed aluminum which both helps with dissipation and makes it look cooler.

PoV/TGT uses direct-touch technology, as you can see on the pictures below. Textured aluminum fins improve dissipation while power components were strapped with a separate heatsink.

Reference Geforce GTX 570 cooling expels most of hot air outside the case, whereas the GTX 570 Beast 2.5GB leaves most of it in the case. This is the reason why you should make sure that in-case cooling is adequate, although enthusiasts and gamers who are most likely to buy this card are probably covered in that department in the first place.

GTX 570 Beast 2.5GB comes with all the current video connectors. The I/O panel holds two dual-link DVIs as well as standard HDMI and DisplayPort outs. Note that reference Geforce GTX 570s come with two dual-link DVIs and one mini-HDMI.

Despite the higher number of video outs, Nvidia’s design allows for only two displays at the same time. This means that using three displays will require a second card.

We already said that the cooler takes up 2.5 slots, but users should be careful with the screws protruding at the other side of the card. The entire cooler is held in place with four screws, which why the mechanism had to made as robust as possible. The cooler is not heavier than 400g though, so it should not be a big issue.

We expected the GTX 570 Beast 2.5GB to score similarly to the reference Geforce GTX 580, which it ultimately did.

3DMark 2011 testing showed that the GTX 570 Beast 2.5GB is capable of beating the Geforce GTX 580 in the less demanding Entry test. At the end of the day though, Geforce GTX 580 remains the fastest single-GPU graphics card.

Judging by what we’ve seen while playing with the GTX 570 Beast 2.5GB, it is definitely the best Geforce GTX 570 we’ve tried so far.

3DMark 2011

Aliens vs Predator Crysis 2

Metro 2033

Unigine Heaven

Overclocking

The GTX 570 Beast 2.5GB is a factory overclocked card that owes its high clocks to carefully handpicked GF110 GPUs. The card comes with Zalman cooling that served us well. We did not change fan rpm or GPU voltages and we still did some gaming at 895MHz. The GTX 570 Beast 2.5GB ran stable at 163MHz (22%) higher clocks than reference.

Thermals and Noise

Thanks to the efficient dual-fan cooling, we had no trouble with GPU temperatures, not even after overclocking it to 895MHz. GPU temperatures were around 78°C when the card was under load, which is still less than on the reference card. Add to that the fact that Beast 2.5GB runs 109MHz faster, and you get the picture.

The fan was almost inaudible both in 2D and 3D modes, and we simply loved the fact that it remained almost inaudible after our overclock.

Power Consumption

Low consumption is definitely not a flagship feature of Beast cards, but what else to expect from a card that’s built for performance. Our testing revealed that the GTX 570 Beast 2.5GB consumes about the same as the reference Geforce GTX 580.

GTX 570 Beast 2.5GB is the second Geforce GTX 570 graphics card that received PoV/TGT’s Beast treatment. The first one launched more than half a year ago, but the time was ripe for a successor. As the name suggests, the Beast 2.5GB has double the memory and comes with quiet but efficient Zalman cooling.

The new GTX 570 Beast 2 card should cater to enthusiasts who crave the best. If we look at the GTX 570 Beast 2.5GB’s GPU clock, which stands at 841MHz, it is clear that the 109MHz factory overclock will leave many competitors in the dust. TGT handpicks only the best GPUs that can take anything you throw at them and then some, be it long gaming hours or overclocking. In fact, there’s still room for additional overclocking despite the hefty overclock, which later helped us to leave even the likes of Geforce GTX 580 in the dust.

Low consumption is definitely not a flagship feature of Beast cards, but what else to expect from a card that’s built for performance. Naturally, high performance requires power and the GTX 570 Beast 2.5GB consumption is similar to the GTX 580’s.

The GTX 570 Beast 2.5GB sports a rich video out panel. It includes standard HDMI and DisplayPort connectors, as well as two dual-link DVIs.

The major con for most of us would have to be the price though, which starts at about 385 euro, here. Compared to most affordable GTX 570s on the market, the Beast 2.5GB costs €100 extra, which means that it’s dangerously approaching the price of GTX 580 cards.

However, if you adamant to stick with air cooling but want a quiet, overclocked and even further overclockable card, then the GTX 570 Beast 2.5 might be the card you’re looking for. We must admit that this was the fastest GTX 570 we’ve tested so far. The cooling is great while additional memory and factory overclocking will help where the reference GTX 570 falls short.

Point of View/TGT has prepared a successor to the GTX 570 Beast card – the GTX 570 Beast 2560MB. We’re talking about a graphics card that runs at some seriously fast clocks – 841MHz GPU and 990MHz memory (3960MHz effectively). The cooling and quiet operation was provided by Zalman’s 2.5 slot wide cooler. Note that reference GTX 570’s clocks are 732MHz for the GPU and 950MHz (3800MHz effectively) for the memory.

Apart from the factory overclock, special dual-fan cooling and double the frame buffer of the reference GTX 570, the GTX 570 Beast 2.5GB comes with a rich selection of video outs.

The GTX 570 Beast 2.5GB is a factory overclocked graphics card, but the handpicked GF110 GPUs that TGT uses on Point of View graphics card can squeeze out even more punch, provided the user wants them to of course.

Thanks to the efficient dual-fan cooling, we had no trouble with GPU temperatures, not even after overclocking the card to 895MHz. GPU temperatures are around 78°C, which is lower than on the reference card, despite the fact that the GTX 570 Beast 2.5GB runs 109MHz faster. The fan is almost inaudible, be it 2D mode or gaming.

The GT 520 1GB SilentFX can be found at about €38 and is passively cooled, which indeed is a big plus if you ask HTPC users. The card has three video connectors, one VGA, one HDMI and one dual-link DVI.

Geforce GT 520 boasts a 29W TDP and DirectX 11 support but it only has 48 CUDA processors (shaders). The GT 520 1GB SilentFX is based on the GF119, which is regarded as the most basic Fermi-based GPU.

The GT 520 1GB SilentFX’ GPU ticks at 810MHz, which is the reference clock. However, the memory stands at 535MHz (1070Hz effectively), rather than the reference 900MHz.

The packaging says that the card is part of Gainward’s GOOD series, meaning that Gainward designed its own cooling. In this case, the cooling is passive and dual slot.

The box holds a short user’s manual, driver CD and the card.

The cooler is made of a single aluminum block and should do a pretty good job. In fact, the cooling should do well in smaller cases too, if the dual slot width does not prevent you from using it.

The Geforce GT 520’s gaming performance is pretty low, which is to be expected. 3D Mark 2011 shows that Geforce GT 430 is better for occasional gaming but it also consumes more (Max. TDP 49W). Note that Geforce GT 430 cards are based on the GF108, which boasts double the specs of the GF119. Geforce GT 520 will do fine in hardware acceleration of HD video, but we’ll know more on that as soon as we're done testing.

Gaming is possible but only with minimum detail settings.

We measured a maximum of 69°C after lengthy gaming, which is pretty good considering that we tested it in a semi-open PC case with not much airflow. We’ll also repeat our testing in smaller HTPC cases so stay tuned.

Nvidia Geforce GTX 570 launched on December 7, 2010, and still holds the spot of Nvidia’s second fastest single-GPU graphics card. Geforce GTX 570 cards are made for hardcore gamers - it packs a nice punch and is priced similarly to the Radeon HD 6970. Gainward offers several different Geforce GTX 570 versions but our today’s test subject is the GTX 570 Golden Sample Edition.

Geforce GTX 570 is based on the GF110 GPU which can be found on the faster Geforce GTX 580 as well. By overclocking the Geforce GTX 570, users can get Geforce GTX 580 performance, but of course, overclocking does introduce other risks.

So, the card runs at 750MHz for the GPU, 1500MHz for shaders and 3900MHz (effectively) for the memory. Just to remind you, reference clocks stand at 732MHz for the GPU, 1462MHz for shaders and 3800MHz for memory.

Geforce GTX 580 works at higher clocks – 772MHz GPU, 1544MHz shaders and 4000MHz memory. Furthermore, the Geforce GTX 580 has 512 shaders compared to 480 shaders on Geforce GTX 570. This tells us that the Geforce GTX 580 is faster than the Geforce GTX 570, but since Gainward overclocked its GTX 570 Golden Sample, we expect the performance difference to be at least lower than with reference Geforce GTX 570 cards. In any case, we’ll try to overclock our GTX 570 Golden Sample further and attempt to top the Geforce GTX 580.

That Gainward’s card is a high end product is evident from the relatively big package. However, ‘Golden Sample’ and ‘GOOD’ mean that this is not your ordinary offering, but rather an overclocked card with special cooling.

Gainward’s GOOD Edition cards usually come with several different video outs, this time with two dual-link DVI, one HDMI and one DisplayPort connector. VGA support is provided via the included DVI-to-VGA dongle, with a 6-pin power cable also included in the box.

Gainward’s GTX 570 Golden Sample (GS) comes with special cooling which should keep the temperatures in check. The cooling is pretty similar to that on Gainward’s GTX 570 Golden Sample Goes Like Hell (GS GLH). We’re talking about dual slot cooling with a large heatsink and two powerful 8cm fans.

We noticed that compared to the GTX 570 GS GLH (Launched in December 2010), the GTX 570 GS’ cooling has many more air outlets on the hood, which improves airflow through the heatsink. Nvidia Geforce GTX 570’s reference cooling pushes most of the hot air outside the case, whereas Gainward’s card leaves it inside. However, good news is that Gainward’s cooling is more efficient and the GPU heats up less.

Unlike the GTX 570 GS GLH, which is powered via one 8-pin and one 6-pin power cable, the GTX 570 GS has two 6-pin connectors.

Gainward used Samsung GDDR5 memory (1280MB), model K4G10325FE-HC04, which is rated at 1250MHz (5000MHz GDDR5 effecitvely). Note that the card’s cooling is designed in a way where it cools the GPU, power components and memory chips.

GTX 570 GS has two dual-link DVIs, one HDMI and one DisplayPort. In comparison, reference cards come with two dual-link DVIs and a mini-HDMI. However, Nvidia’s architecture enables for using only two outs at the same time, regardless of Gainward’s efforts. This means that if you want more than two monitors – you’ll have to shell out for another card.

Just like all high-end cards, Gainward’s GTX 570 GS allows for chaining up one or two more Geforce GTX 570 cards, in order to get more performance or have more than two displays (e.g. for 3D Stereo Vision).

Gainward’s GTX 570 Golden Sample outran the Radeon HD 6970 but, as you can see from the results, the higher the resolution – the lower the difference.

Aliens vs Predator

The GTX 570 Golden Sample comes factory overclocked but it simply cannot handle the Radeon HD 6970 in some games, AvP being one of them. However, thanks to special cooling that keeps the temperatures way below dangerous thresholds, the GTX 570 Golden Sample can be further overclocked. This helped us in achieving higher scores than the Geforce GTX 580.

Dirt 2

We didn’t need to overclock the GTX 570 Golden Sample in Dirt 2 because it churned out a great frame rate at 2560x1600, running at factory clocks throughout. Furthermore, it is faster than Radeon HD 6970 in this game.

Metro 2033

The Geforce GTX 570 has 1280MB of memory while the Radeon HD 6970 comes with 2048MB. Metro 2033 likes more memory and runs considerably better with it, especially when playing at 2560x1600 with antialiasing. Up until that resolution, the GTX 570 Golden Sample and RAdeon HD 6970 scores were similar. The Radeon HD 6970’s memory earned it dominance when antialiasing is used, but the GTX 570 Golden Sample wins otherwise.

The GPU’s full potential can only be tapped into with voltage changes. Gainward GTX 570 Golden Sample allows for GPU voltage changes via Afterburner, and that’s what we used. After upping the voltage to 1100mV, we managed to push our GPU to 900MHz and memory to 4500MHz (effectively).

Thermals

The GTX 570 Golden Sample’s cooling is great when it comes to performance. In fact, we measured lower GPU temperatures after our overclocking than the reference GTX 570 is capable of right out of the box (76°C compared to the reference card’s 85°C).

GTX 570 Golden Sample

GTX 570 Golden Sample OC

Noise

When idle, the GTX 570 Golden Sample is inaudible. The fan is not too loud during more intensive gaming and we were happy enough, although the card is a bit louder than the reference card. However, Gainward could have set the fan to be slower and quieter because the thermals are very good.

Geforce GTX 570 offers good performance in the high-end single-GPU segment, and the only faster card was the Geforce GTX 580. Performance wise, AMD’s competitor Radeon HD 6970 is comparable to the Geforce GTX 570. Of course, we cannot forget the retired Geforce GTX 480, which was Nvidia’s fastest single-GPU card and retired after the Geforce GTX 570 launched. These two cards have very similar performance and gaming results, but the Geforce GTX 570 comes with more efficient GPU and thermals.

Gainward’s GTX 570 Golden Sample is an interesting card, not least due to the custom design cooler. The factory overclock is not that high – the GPU runs at 750MHz compared to the reference 732MHz, whereas the memory is up from 900MHz to 975MHz (3900MHz effectively). The GTX 570 Golden Sample’s overclock is not as high as the one on GTX 570 Golden Sample Goes Like Hell (800MHz GPU), but custom cooling with two fans ensures safe and simple additional overclocking at any time. We managed to push the GPU to 900MHz and score better than the reference Geforce GTX 580.

GOOD Edition’s cooling packs great performance. In fact, it stays below the reference Geforce GTX 570’s temperatures, even after overclocking. However, while the cooler is mostly inaudible, it tends to get a bit louder than the reference one when under load.

Gainward GTX 570 Golden Sample comes with standard HDMI and DisplayPort connectors as well as two dual-link DVI connectors, so users are well covered there. The only downside, if you can call it that, is that Nvidia has a limit of two displays on a single graphics card. This means that you’ll need SLI if you want more than two displays.

Gainward GTX 570 Golden Sample is priced at about €280, here, which is some €20 more than Gainward’s reference GTX 570 with identical cooling.

The successor to Nvidia’s Fermi architecture, a certain GPU that goes by the name Kepler has already been taped out.

We have multiple sources to confirm that the new 28nm chip is alive and that it looks quite well. Nvidia didn't have any major obstacles with the first tape out, but naturally there is still a lot of work to seal the leakage, and make the chip generally better. This is nothing unusual for a new chip, and getting from 40nm to 28nm is definitely not a walk in a park.

Kepler naturally gets a lot of changes to Nvidia's GPU and you can imagine that with the same maximal TDP, you can squeeze significantly more transistor and get much more power.

The optimistic projection is to see Kepler in retail in Q4 2011 but some sources suggest that this won't actually happen this year, as TSMC needs a bit more time to make the 28nm more mature.

Current generation GPUs are already hitting the performance wall at 40nm and the industry has a lot riding on the 28nm process, but fear not. For the moment, both AMD and Nvidia seem to be on track and we might see the first 28nm chips by the end of the year, but mass availability comes a bit later.

CoolStream design is not a novelty per se as Club3D used it before to provide adequate cooling. Club3D GTX 560 CoolStream Edition runs at reference clocks while the OC edition of course comes factory overclocked.

We were pleased with Club3D’s efforts in providing better cooling but at the same time, we were a bit disappointed to see a mere 20MHz overclock on the OC Edition. Our sample however was CoolStream Edition, which runs at 810MHz. The OC Edition runs 20MHz faster, meaning it’s clocked at 830MHz.

Before we move onto our testing, let’s review the specs:

Geforce GTX 560 is based on the GF114 GPU, which comes with one shader cluster less than on Geforce GTX 560 Ti. However, by turning off one shader-cluster, the GTX 560 became almost identical to the GTX 460. Still, the latter is based on the older GF104 GPU with 336 shaders or CUDA processors, 32 ROPs, 56 TMUs and a 256-bit memory interface.

Thanks to design improvements, the GF114 allows for higher clocks than the GF104. Furthermore, the GTX 560 managed to retain the GTX 460’s consumption despite running 135MHz faster for the GPU and 400MHz (effectively) for the memory.

All this suggests that the Geforce GTX 560 is made to fill the gap between GTX 460 and GTX 560 Ti cards. As far as pricing goes, the GTX 560 goes for €150 whereas the GTX 560 Ti costs €20 more. The GTX 460 is currently priced at €125.

All three of these Geforce cards are classified as so called gamers’ sweet spot, meaning that average budget gamers will love them. The optimum gaming resolution is 1680x1050, although 1920x1080 is possible as well depending on the game and detail settings.

Club3D GTX 560 CoolStream Edition is 21cm long, just like most other GTX 560 cards. It sports a high performance CoolStream series cooler with a large heatsink and two heatpipes.

CoolStream cooling comes with unique fan blade design, which should increase airflow while reducing noise. Although we didn’t find it to be the quietest GTX 560 we’ve tested thus far, GTX 560 CoolStream Edition is not exactly loud either. You will hear it but it won’t be very loud, not even under full load; the fan is an 83mm, Everflow model: T129215Su, 0.50AMP.

Club3D used its standard color scheme – a blue PCB and a black dual-slot cooler. The PCB has Nvidia’s logo on it, which suggests reference component placing scheme.

The memory is cooled by air from the fan only.The memory is placed on the GPU side of the PCB. The memory chips come from Samsung (model number K4G10325FE-HC04) and are specified to run at 1250MHz (5000 MHz GDDR5 effectively).

As far as video outs go, we have here the classic Nvidia design i.e. two dual link DVIs and mini-HDMI out. Note that only two video outs can be used simultaneously. Nvidia included an HDMI sound device within the GPU, so there is no need for connecting the card to your motherboard’s/soundcard’s SPDIF out to get audio and video via HDMI.

GTX 560 comes with one SLI connector. This means you can combine up to two GTX 560 cards in SLI mode for improved performance or image quality settings. The card has two 6-pin PCI-Express power connectors.

The GTX 560 CoolStream’s packaging is similar to that of GTX 560 Ti CoolStream card. Nvidia really made the design part easy for its partners, as all they had to do was erase the 'Ti's and ship them away.

Overclocking the GF114 should not be a problem, regardless of whether it’s reference or specially designed GTX 560 Ti or GTX 560.

CoolStream’s cooling provides a nice foundation for a healthy overclock and we got to following results. We managed to push the GPU from 810MHz to 1005MHz, after we upped the voltage to 1087mV.

Although we didn't manage to hit constantly stable 1GHz, the GTX 560 Ultra Charged allowed us to enjoy gaming at 990MHz for the GPU.

The fan was pretty loud after overclocking, but we're pleased with cooling results.

When running at reference clocks, the Club3D GTX 560 CoolStream Edition's temperatures were in normal limits, as you can see from the pictures below.

Nvidia GTX 560 is a card for 1680x1050, because that’s the resolution that any game will run just fine. That’s not to say that 1920x1080 isn’t possible - it is, but it will require sacrifices in the detail settings department.

Club3D expanded its Geforce offer with two GTX 560 cards – GTX 560 CoolStream Edition and GTX 560 CoolStream OC Edition. The difference between the aforementioned cards is only in the clocks, as the OC version comes overclocked by 20MHz.

We tested the reference clocked version and it proved to be quite ready for DirectX 11 gaming challenges, as well as hot summer days.

CoolStream cooling is pretty good – it’s not too loud but not inaudible either. Anyone who intends to do some overclocking of their own will surely know how to appreciate it. Thanks to some extra voltage, we managed to push the GPU over 1GHz.

Of course, CoolStream cooling adds a price tag of its own so Club3D's GTX 560 CoolStream Edition cad goes for €157 here, which is a few euro more than the most affordable GTX 560.

With the company’s launch of Geforce GTX 560, Nvidia expanded its performance segment offer quite nicely. The GTX 560 can be found at €150, while the GTX 560 Ti is available for €30 more, here.

Both cards were classified as so called ‘gamers’ sweet spot’, meaning that gamers on average budgets will love it and should be pleased with the performance offered. Optimum gaming resolution is 1680x1050, although 1920x1080 is possible as well, albeit after sacrificing some detail settings.

Thankfully, there’s always the option to overclock the card and allow for smooth 1920x1080 gaming ad Point of View/TGT did exactly that. In fact, PoV/TGT pushed the GTX 560 Ultra Charged Edition’s GPU from reference 810MHz to as high as 900MHz.

GTX 560 cards are built around the GF114 GPU. Compared to the GF114 on GTX 560 Ti cards, the GTX 560’s GF114 comes with one Shader-cluster less. By disabling the Shader-cluster, GTX 560 practically got the same specs as the GTX 460 (GF104): 336 shaders or CUDA processors, 32 ROPs, 56 TMUs and 256-bit memory interface. Hardware wise, it’s the same configuration but the GTX 560’s GPU is 135MHz faster and its memory is faster by 100MHz (400MHz effectively) than GTX 460’s.

Thanks to the improved GPU design, Nvidia could clock the GF114 much higher than GTX 460’s clocks, all the while keeping consumption at the same level.

Performance wise, the GTX 560 is somewhere between the GTX 460 and GTX 560 Ti, leaning more towards the latter.

The GTX 560 Ultra Charged’s packaging is similar to that of GTX 560 Ti Ultra Charged card. Nvidia really made the design part easy for its partners, as all they had to do was erase the 'Ti's and ship them away.

The card is named TGT-560-A1-1-UC and, as you can see, is quite a charmer. PoV/TGT used a black PCB and a black dual-slot cooler.

GTX 560 UC is 21cm long, which is 2cm shorter than the GTX 560 Ti.

The card comes with two 6-pin power connectors.

Although the connectors are on the far end of the card, the card itself is short and mounting it in smaller cases will not be a problem.

PoV / TGT GTX 560 Ultra Charged has one dual-link DVI, one standard HDMI and VGA connector. The card's cooler is pretty quiet considering the card is overclocked from 810MHz to 900MHz. We're talking about a classic cooler with a circular heatsink and two heatpipes. The memory is cooled by air from the fan only.

PCB looks pretty neat and tidy. The memory is placed on the GPU side of the PCB. The memory chips come from Samsung (model number K4G10325FE-HC04) and are specified to run at 1250MHz (5000 MHz GDDR5 effectively).

Top of the PCB has an aluminum bar that's used for improved heat dissipation.

We managed to push the GPU to 970MHz, which is pretty much a maximum you can squeeze out from the GF114 on GTX 560 cards.

Although we didn't manage to hit constantly stable 1GHz, GTX 560 Ultra Charged allowed us to enjoy the following.

Afterburner recorded an interesting thing -- after the instability caused by the 1000MHz clock, the card downclocked to 900MHz. The app we were running at the time didn't crash.

Thermals and Noise

You'll hear the fan during gaming but it is pretty quiet when idle. Pushing the card to 970MHz resulted in temperatures up to 92°C, whereas 900MHz operation saw temperatures up to 86°C.

Today we tested Point of View/TGT’s GTX 560 Ultra Charged graphics card. We’ve grown to expect the company to come up with some nice overclocks, and today was no exception. Nvidia’s partners pounced on the chance to put the GF114’s overclock potential to good use and although you’ll find some overclocked by only 12MHz, PoV/TGT’s GTX 560 Ultra Charged boasts a 90MHz overclock.

A reference clocked Geforce GTX 560 allows for smooth 1680x1050 gaming, whereas 1920x1080 will depend on the game and graphics settings. Thankfully, overclocked GTX 560 Ultra Charged card is up to 9% faster than the reference GTX 560 and that will allow for smooth 1920x1080 gaming.

Overclocking-friendly GTX 460, GT 560 and GTX 560 Ti cards made the €120-200 offer nicely filled out and there are plenty of cards to choose from. It seems like there are more than 100 different cards derived from the aforementioned cards.

As we said, Point of View/TGT GTX 560 Ultra Charged is one of the fastest GTX 560 cards around. Point of View/TGT 560 Ultra Charged currently goes for €184, which is a few euro higher than the GTX 560 Ti. While the card is undoubtedly quality, we must say that the pricing should have been at least a bit lower in order to compete with the GTX 560 Ti.